torture

In a recently published report by Amnesty International, it has been discovered that at least 17,723 people have died in custody in Syrian prisons since March 2011. This, the article states, is around “300 deaths per month” - not counting the much larger reality of all those people who have been abducted or are “missing”.

Rape has been endemic in war for centuries, used as an instrument of torture, humiliation and control against both men and women. Brutalised, these victims often suffer not only personal violation and trauma, but also stigmatisation and rejection from their communities, families and society as a result. Individuals borne from rape similarly suffer in many countries from Europe to Africa. For the first time, the International Criminal Court has indicted an individual Congolese warlord for the widespread rapes that were committed by his soldiers.